The late Thomas Leonard, a professional coach, founded the ICF to create a professional coaching community. The organisation was initially geared toward North America but now has members in more than 150 countries.

ICF Members receive a multitude of benefits, starting with access to educational research, networking opportunities, and globally recognised credentialing and accreditation services. All of ICF’s endeavours are focused on coaching — from informing the public on how coaching works to conducting industry research. ICF builds, supports, and preserves the integrity of the coaching profession through standards and programs. Membership is not only an investment into a coach’s future, but also an investment into the future of coaching.

ICF is a nonprofit membership organisation led by a member-elected Board of Directors that oversees the organisation's affairs. Paid staff members follow the leadership's direction and carry out its day-to-day work.

ICF Australasia is nonprofit organisation incorporated in NSW and registered with ASIC as a registered body.

Yes! The ICF Global Coaching Client Study shows most clients reported improved work performance, better business management, more efficient time management,
increased team effectiveness, and more growth and opportunities. The same study found that coaching clients noted greater self-confidence, enhanced
relationships, more effective communications skills, better work-and-life balance and an improvement in wellness. Nearly 70 percent of individuals
indicated they had at least made back their initial investment. The median suggests that a client who achieved financial benefit from coaching can
typically expect a ROI of more than three times the amount spent.

According to the same report, the vast majority of companies (86 percent) say they at least made their investment back. In fact, almost one-fifth (19 percent)
saw a ROI of 50 times their investment, while another 28 percent saw a ROI of 10 to 49 times the investment. Nearly all companies or individuals who
hire a coach are satisfied. According to the ICF Global Coaching Client Study, a stunning 99 percent of people who were polled said they were somewhat
or very satisfied with the overall coaching experience. For more details, go to the ICF Research Portal,
as well as press releases about ICF’s return-on-investment research.

Professional coaching focuses on setting goals, creating outcomes and managing personal change. Sometimes it’s helpful to understand coaching by distinguishing it from other personal or organisational support professions.

Therapy: Therapy deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or in relationships. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past that hamper an individual's emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with the present in more emotionally healthy ways. Coaching, on the other hand, supports personal and professional growth based on self-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is future focused. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one's work or personal life. The emphasis in a coaching relationship is on action, accountability and follow through.

Consulting: Individuals or organisations retain consultants for their expertise. While consulting approaches vary widely, the assumption is the consultant will diagnose problems and prescribe and, sometimes, implement solutions. With coaching, the assumption is that individuals or teams are capable of generating their own solutions, with the coach supplying supportive, discovery-based approaches and frameworks.

Mentoring: A mentor is an expert who provides wisdom and guidance based on his or her own experience. Mentoring may include advising, counselling and coaching. The coaching process does not include advising or counselling, and focuses instead on individuals or groups setting and reaching their own objectives.

Training: Training programs are based on objectives set out by the trainer or instructor. Though objectives are clarified in the coaching process, they are set by the individual or team being coached, with guidance provided by the coach. Training also assumes a linear learning path that coincides with an established curriculum. Coaching is less linear without a set curriculum.

Athletic Development: Though sports metaphors are often used, professional coaching is different from sports coaching. The athletic coach is often seen as an expert who guides and directs the behaviour of individuals or teams based on his or her greater experience and knowledge. Professional coaches possess these qualities, but their experience and knowledge of the individual or team determines the direction. Additionally, professional coaching, unlike athletic development, does not focus on behaviours that are being executed poorly or incorrectly. Instead, the focus is on identifying opportunity for development based on individual strengths and capabilities.

Extensive industry research project demonstrates the size and scope of a growing profession.

Lexington, Kentucky, USA—The International Coach Federation (ICF) has announced the release of its newest piece of industry
research, the 2016 ICF Global Coaching Study. The full report is now available for purchase here.

The third such study commissioned by ICF, the 2016 Global Coaching Studyprovides an up-to-date picture of the coaching profession worldwide.

“ICF’s mission as the world’s largest coaching association is to lead the global advancement of the coaching profession. To fulfill this, we are pursuing
the strategic goal of assuming a thought-leadership role for the evolution of global coaching,” said 2016 ICF Global Board Chair Leda Turai Petrauskiene,
MCC. “As our most extensive survey of the coaching profession to date, the 2016 Global Coaching Study is a cornerstone of this effort.”

At ICF, coaching training programs are Accredited while individuals are Credentialed. ICF’s Accreditation service for Coach training schools defines curriculum standards to ensure consistency in coach training programs and consistency among coaching professionals. ICF Credentials are awarded to professional coaches who have met stringent education and experience requirements, and have demonstrated mastery of the coaching competencies.